Kampala/Hoima — Uganda has accused Congolese government troops of attacking Heritage Oil installations on Lake Albert, an act that could harm relations between the two countries.

The UPDF said yesterday that Congolese soldiers attacked a floating barge killing one oil worker and paralysing operations of Heritage Oil and Tullow Oil companies prospecting for oil in the area.

"[Between] 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. this morning, troops of the Congolese government attacked a barge carrying oil workers on Lake Albert; they killed one oil worker and this is the second time they are attacking Ugandan soil," said Lt. Tabaro Kiconco, a spokesman for the UPDF's 2nd Division based in western Uganda.

A barge is "a long boat with a flat bottom, used for carrying heavy loads on rivers or canals". The victim of the attack was a chief oil surveyor only identified as Carl from Australia.

The first attack, the UPDF says, was on Sunday.

The latest attack, which occurred about 100km north of the Bundibugyo District shores, elicited a fire exchange involving private guards and some UPDF soldiers. "Congolese authorities have already confirmed that they lost a soldier in that attack," Lt. Kiconco said.

State Minister for Defence Ruth Nankabirwa described the incident as a "worrisome development and we are already in touch with Congolese authorities over this attack".

As we went to press, Brig. Hudson Mukasa, the 2nd Division commander, was just arriving in the area to assess the situation.

On the other side of the shores, in Hoima District, the attack has sent fear amongst the lakeside communities. The skirmish is likely to sour relations again between Uganda and the DR Congo. Uganda invaded the DR Congo in 1998 in a bid to fight the rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces, but instead took part in a five-year civil war the dragged in six more countries killing estimated two million Congolese and imparing relations between the two neighbours.

Those relations had been improving over the past three years.

In Kampala, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Congolese charge d'Affaires to protest the attack.

It was not possible to get a comment by press time from the Congolese authorities.

"Over the last three days we have noticed unusual incidents at out border with Congo," said Maj. Felix Kulayigye, the defence and army spokesman. "Just on Sunday, Congolese forces kidnapped four of our soldiers and they are still holding them in Bunia."

The UPDF has since dispatched its marine forces to contain the situation. Junior Minerals and Energy Minister Kamanda Bataringaya asked the government to beef up security in areas with oil deposits.

"We need security beefed up both on water and shores to prevent any such attacks from happening again," he said. Oil is Uganda's latest mineral discovery and the country is banking on it to turn its fortunes around.

Heritage Oil is a Canadian-based company with oil exploration projects in both Uganda and the DR Congo. Tullow is an Irish company.